The aging poet F.X. Enderby faces the final indignity of his career when he is invited to a university in the United States to lecture on his own work, only to find himself embroiled in a chaotic academic environment. Enderby, a misanthropic and weary artist, seeks to preserve his creative integrity while navigating the absurdities of American campus culture. He is confronted by aggressive students, pretentious faculty, and the encroaching reality of his own mortality. The narrative utilizes a cynical, third-person perspective to examine the friction between the solitary creator and the institutionalization of art. The world is defined by the intellectual pretension of the 1970s academic scene, serving as a claustrophobic stage for Enderby's final act.

Discussion often centers on the book's biting critique of the academic establishment and the way it serves as a final, weary farewell to the character of Enderby. Readers frequently highlight the sharp, often abrasive wit that defines the prose, noting that the narrative prioritizes intellectual satire over traditional plot progression. Critics often observe that the work functions as a self-reflexive commentary on Burgess's own experiences with fame and the literary industry. The balance of character development is heavily weighted toward Enderby's internal disillusionment, creating an atmosphere that is both cynical and deeply reflective. This work is generally viewed as a significant, if difficult, conclusion to the series that demands an appreciation for dark, intellectual humor.